Nippon Sheet Glass (NSG), Japan’s largest glass manufacturer, plans to test solar windows developed by its US unit Ubiquitous Energy at a train station in Japan. The windows have a transparent photovoltaic coating with an invisible power generation element capable of absorbing invisible wavelengths.
“These windows are capable of highly efficient power generation using ultraviolet and infrared rays as energy sources, while maintaining the transparency of standard windows and offering excellent thermal protection and thermal insulation properties,” the company said in a statement.
The UE Power window has a transparent photovoltaic coating that absorbs invisible wavelengths, collects and transmits electricity through a system in the window frame, and transfers the generated energy to a battery, increasing the building’s energy efficiency.
The window can take technical information from the place, such as wind speed, light exposure and temperature. The information can be used to be integrated into the controls of the building’s systems in order to optimize power use.
NSG and Eneos previously quantitatively evaluated solar windows outdoors at NSG’s Chiba plant for one year. The window testing period at Takanawa Gateway Station is two months.
Ubiquitous Energy claims its patented transparent PV glass coating produces energy without changing the appearance of traditional windows. UE’s Electric Windows could offset up to 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and significantly reduce 40 percent of emissions from buildings. .
